


Fourth of July Celebration

by DesertVixen



Category: Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/M, Family Feels, Fluffy, Gen, Post-Happy Golden Years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 20:22:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20458919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/pseuds/DesertVixen
Summary: Caroline Ingalls gets her wish to have a big family celebrationCanon Divergent - set vaguely sometime after These Happy Golden Years, but ignoring the depressing parts of The First Four Years





	Fourth of July Celebration

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hilandmum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hilandmum/gifts).

Caroline Quiner had been pleased to become Caroline Ingalls. She might not enjoy the constant moving and shifting that came with being married to Charles, establishing homes and leaving them, starting all over again in new places. Finally, in Dakota Territory, she had put her foot down, insisting on no more moves. Her girls needed schools and the opportunities a real education could give them, needed some predictability. Charles had agreed, finding the Dakota plains wide-open enough to soothe the part of him that chafed in a town, that needed wildness. Sometimes Caroline thanked Providence that Oregon and California were already settled, because otherwise he likely would have wanted to keep driving the wagon right into the Pacific Ocean.

Sometimes she missed the snug little cabin in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, with family members within a day’s wagon ride. Now, seeing family was a wondrous, never-to-be-forgotten day. Now, with Laura grown and out of the house, Caroline found herself thinking wistfully of the dances and parties held at relatives’ houses, the warmth and laughter, eating a good meal that she didn’t have to prepare, the pleasurable exhaustion of a wagon ride home next to Charles, with the girls asleep in the bed.

Mary and Laura had experienced it as little girls, but Carrie had been a baby and Grace not even dreamed of in those days. Here in DeSmet, they had plenty of opportunities for socializing – exhibitions, spelling bees, fundraising dinners, even occasional parties. But Caroline missed the dances whirling about the floor to the music. Of course, dresses were different now, and the wide hooped skirts they had worn before memories, but her waist was still small enough for Charles to span with both hands. Too often, he was the man who supplied the music, but now and then they were able to dance.

*** 

Caroline had always found the town celebrations for the Fourth of July to be too much – too loud, too crowded, too full of activities more suitable for men than ladies. It was much finer to stay home and relax. Now that they were married, Laura and Manly would come for the afternoon, and then go to watch the fireworks. But two weeks before the Fourth, Charles came from town with a smile and a letter from his sister Docia.

She slit the envelope with a hairpin and pulled out the letter eagerly. They hadn’t seen Docia since they first came to Dakota Territory, working on the railroad at Silver Lake. 

“What does Docia have to say?” Charles asked after a few minutes, enjoying the pleasure on his wife’s face as she absorbed the letter.

“They’re planning to come visit for the Fourth, before they head East again.” Docia and her husband Hi had followed the railroad intermittently, and had even tried Oregon, but now it seemed they were headed back to more settled country.

“We should have our celebration here then, he said. “I’ll get the fireworks for here at home. Why don’t we make it a real party? Laura and Manly will be here, and we could invite the Boasts.”

Caroline nodded, already thinking of the fine dinner she wanted to make. Their claim had repaid all the hard work they had poured into it, and Caroline admitted she wanted to show off just a little. She’d have to send a message to Ellie Boast and Laura to make sure they didn’t duplicate her efforts. All the good things – fried chicken and pies and lemonade – that they had missed in the past would be on the table.

*** 

There had been some concern about the weather, but Caroline was relieved to see the Fourth dawn blue and clear. Docia, Hi, and Lena had arrived last night, and Caroline was looking forward to a morning of catching up while they cooked. Breakfast would be simple, but dinner would make up for it, Caroline thought happily. She kept an eye on the road, looking out for Laura and Manly, and the Boasts. 

Laura Wilder enjoyed driving the wagon, pulled by the reliable Barnum and Skip. Manly and Royal were driving their buggy with a new pair he was breaking, and they would enjoy a drive later, but she was not about to trust a load of supplies and little Rose to the new pair. Her mother had hinted that there were some surprises in store, and Laura could hardly wait to find out what her mother had meant. She hoped bringing Royal along was not a problem, but he had been helping Manly on the farm and it would have been rude to not bring him, especially since they planned to drive to town later for the fireworks.

She expected her father, or Carrie and Grace, to come running out to give her a hand. Instead, a woman she didn’t quite recognize came out. Her black hair was drawn back, with curls springing forward over her ears, and her black eyes snapped merrily. Laura felt that she should know her.

“I see you still like horses,” she called out, and Laura realized who she must be.

“Lena!” Lena, her cousin from Silver Lake, with whom she had ridden wild ponies and had adventures. Laura had been jealous of the slightly older girl, who got to keep going West when Laura had to stay in Dakota Territory and go to school. She had never expected to see her again.

“We arrived last night!” Lena said before she wrapped Laura in an embrace. 

Laura laughed, then lifted Rose down from the wagon. “Rose, this is your cousin Lena. Lena, this is my daughter Rose.”

“Where is your husband?”

Laura nodded towards the prairie. “He and his brother are working on breaking a team.”

She wasn’t surprised to see Aunt Docia and Uncle Hi in the kitchen – Jean was out West – and to see her mother smiling happily as she cooked. Laura joined in to help, enjoying the bustle and the talk, all the good smells. Rose was underfoot until they shooed her out of the kitchen into the out-of-doors under her aunt Grace’s watchful eye.

When they sat down for dinner, Laura fancied she could hear the table groaning under the weight of the food. There was fried chicken and hot light biscuits, freshly made butter and even some preserves, potatoes in their jackets and pickled vegetables, corn on the cob , sweet cold lemonade and enough pies that Laura didn’t see how they could possibly eat all of them. The best part, however, was watching Caroline Ingalls preside over the meal. Laura knew that her mother missed being close to family members, missed being able to have times like this more often than once every blue moon.

When the dishes had been cleared away and everyone had a chance to relax, Charles Ingalls brought out the fiddle. There was room inside the house now, but they went outside to dance to the merry music. Caroline sat on the step with Mary and watched the couples whirling, listening to the fiddle sing on and on. Mary couldn’t see the dancers, of course, but she could enjoy the music as well as anyone. Rose eventually came to lay her head in Caroline’s lap, and they watched together as Laura and Manly, the Boasts, Docia and Hi, Royal and Lena, Carrie and Grace danced, changing partners and laughing merrily, the idea of driving to town to see the fireworks forgotten.

It was, she thought as their guests started to pack into their wagons and buggies to head home, a perfectly beautiful day. Their guests were staying another day or so, and Laura had already promised to come visiting tomorrow.

Finally, she stood alone under the stars with Charles, everyone else having left or gone into the house. 

“Happy Fourth of July,” he said quietly, then began to hum one of the sprightly airs he’d played earlier on the fiddle. “Dance with me?”

“Of course,” Caroline murmured, and they danced under the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it! I liked your prompt, and enjoyed bringing in Aunt Docia and others from By The Shores of Silver Lake.


End file.
